Vision Science Grad Student Conference
- University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry & Vision Science opens its 2026 Vision Science Graduate Student Conference on April 27, with student talks running through April 28. - Day one features four research presentations, graduate awards, a workforce panel and networking; day two ends with Kevin Duffy’s Larkworthy Lecture in Optometry room 347. - The school says it runs Canada’s only English-language optometry doctorate and a large vision science graduate program. (uwaterloo.ca)
Vision science is the study of how eyes, nerves and the brain turn light into sight. The University of Waterloo opened its 2026 Vision Science Graduate Student Conference on Monday, April 27, at the School of Optometry & Vision Science. (uwaterloo.ca) The two-day conference runs April 27 and April 28, with Monday scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. and Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. into the evening. Waterloo said all graduate students are expected to attend. (uwaterloo.ca) Monday’s research session starts at 10:15 a.m. with Vethushan Ramalingam presenting work on dynamic optical coherence tomography, an imaging method that works like ultrasound with light instead of sound. Simran Pattar, Erica Chow and Sadaf Ghaeni Hesaroueiyeh follow with talks on glaucoma, zebrafish visual behavior and retinal neurovascular coupling. (uwaterloo.ca) At 11:40 a.m., director Ben Thompson is scheduled to welcome attendees before the graduate student awards presentation and a “Grad Flix” highlight. A workforce panel runs from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., followed by coffee and social networking. (uwaterloo.ca) Tuesday shifts to amblyopia, sometimes called “lazy eye,” a condition where the brain favors one eye and vision development is reduced. Supriya Aryal, Yangchen Dolker and Cindy Sun are scheduled to present on reading speed, postural stability and adult 3D vision in people with amblyopia. (uwaterloo.ca) The conference closes with the Larkworthy Lecture, a memorial seminar that caps the school’s research series for the year. Kevin Duffy of Dalhousie University is scheduled to speak on reversing visual deprivation effects with retinal inactivation, followed by a reception. (uwaterloo.ca) The event is part of an annual cycle at Waterloo that pairs student presentations with awards for research and teaching. In 2025, the school recognized students including Shilpa Gorla, Daniel Kessie and Ashita Bidarkar during the same conference. (uwaterloo.ca) Waterloo says its School of Optometry & Vision Science provides the only English-language optometric training in Canada leading to an accredited Doctor of Optometry degree. The school also runs a graduate vision science program, and its graduate student association says it includes more than 40 students from around the world. (uwaterloo.ca 1) (uwaterloo.ca 2) For this week, the conference is the school’s main showcase for what those students are studying now: from glaucoma and retinal blood flow to childhood amblyopia and adult depth perception. (uwaterloo.ca)
